10.27.2008

A Cotton Rope to Earth & A Handful of Other Things

(a quick sketch, "and so we continue onwards with curiosity and tenderness".)

("still life w/ stella" was supposed to be just "still life". dear kitty.)

("reaching", i've probably drawn this 15 times in the past 2 years.)

(diptych, "bougainvillea by day & night".)

Hello friends. It's officially fall here in the Northern Hemisphere. Okay, so it's been fall for over a month now but the end of October and the coming of Halloween always catapult me completely over the divide of late summer/ early fall and land me wholeheartedly in the "fully autumn" category. I love it! On to other news, a handful of things and thoughts have come my way in the last week or two:

I met Jenifer of Sprout Studio for a beer in San Francisco and she and her husband are just as wonderful as I always imagined. We talked about a number of things ranging from galleries and theaters in the Bay Area to balancing day jobs, art jobs, and home lives, to an array of blog topics and the whole evening was utterly delightful. Thank you, Jen. (For those of you I've never met, I look forward to meeting more of you in person!)

The show is still running through this weekend. The photos are still up. I might have some typographical fun with a new printed version of my artist statement to hang in the gallery but other than that, all is a "go" at the theater/ gallery through this weekend. Come see us if you haven't already!

I went to see Sean Hayes play at Amnesia in SF this weekend. He was just as dreamy and crooning and lullaby-lovely as I expected. (Although he was taller and thinner than he appears in photos but this is neither here nor there when it comes to discussing his music!) On stage he is certainly charming.

I'm currently (and slowly) building a second Etsy shop where I'll be selling photos in the upcoming weeks. I'm also going to be updating my current Etsy shop with one-of-a-kind gloves, hats, knits, and other winter goodies. I'll be going at a slower pace these next few weeks so... stay tuned!

I've recently taken a bunch of Polaroids but haven't yet scanned them into my computer. As the last two weeks have been all about the photo exhibition and performance, it was such a lovely reminder of my daily creative life to walk by the record player and see the stack of photos waiting for more attention. Oh, the power of the daily ritual to create feelings of connection: Joy.

My dear cat, Stella Isabella, was hit by a car last weekend but after a simple jaw surgery it turns out she is going to be fine. (Thank the cat goddesses.) I've been touched by her injury, trauma, and recovery process and think this might make its way into a new piece of writing or artwork. There's something very powerful about domesticated animals and I think there's more mileage in this for me. I'll let you know as it progresses.

I've mentioned this book before but I want to mention it again: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. It's a memoir of Barbara Kingsolver's attempts to grow enough food to locally feed her family of four. If you are interested in homesteading or urban homesteading, you should read this book. It's a cozy, enjoyable read. This book and cups of loose-leaf vanilla black tea have been my comfort moments this week. Ah, yes, there is enough time for just a few pages and a warm cup of tea.

Some doodles, drawings, and budding poems in my notebook this week. While I haven't recently had the time to heartily write, create, or document my inspirations, I have found little pockets of time to dash off thoughts in my notebook. These bits of time have kept me tethered to my creative parts while focusing on the bigger business side of things. It's amazing how I start to feel disconnected when I'm not actively engaged with my creative work; suddenly I start to have "What am I doing with my days?" thoughts and I realize that I've strayed from my little cotton rope that guides me to the earth. (So, hello poems, hello photos, hello initial sketches of projects that will later be given more time with head and hands. Hello quiet heart parts-- so that's where you've been waiting.)

great catch up postlove the photos and drawingsI'm so sorry to hear that your cat was hit but quite relieved to know that it looks like she will be finetake good care and relish in all those other wonderful things that seem to be going on with you nowC

such a great line, "my little cotton rope that guides me to earth" - love it. so good to catch up and chit chat. love to do it again soon. glad to hear dear stella is healing up -- don't know what i would do if our dixie loo was hit :( eep! they are so dear to us...

esti: yes, i think busy and happy is a good combination. when the busy is fueling, it can create amazing things. when the busy is draining, it's just a hard push. yes, my stella is healing well, thanks for your kind wishes.

jenifer: yes, so nice to finally meet in person and i would LOVE to do it again soon. happy week to you too.

gracia: i'm glad you like the recent polaroids. more to come soon. and yes, a virtual storm has been brewing!

aimee: thank you for visiting! it's always so nice to make a new blog friend. (nice to meet you too!)

lisa: yes, we should certainly plan an oakland outing soon. i think you, jenifer, and i could have quite a lovely afternoon together. we should make a date. (and thanks for the pet wishes.)

amisha: yes, i loved your blog! it's very nice to meet you too. thanks for visiting!

mansuetude: so glad you like the photos. i LOVE what you wrote, "to slip out of time... to become water."

dear friends: as usual, thank you SO much for your community, comments, and camaraderie. you really mean so much to me. thank you, i'm humbled by your support.

I'm so glad your cat is ok! Also I love your day and night bougainvillea shots. And I started Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and will be sure to finish it after reading your post. (I sometimes start several books at once and then don't finish one or two of them - weird of me).